Toys for Tribes, supporting holiday celebrations across Indian Country!

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Running Strong for American Indian Youth® is kicking off our annual Toys for Tribes program - ensuring that hundreds of Native youth can celebrate Christmas with gifts underneath their tree!

In addition, thanks to our supporters, Running Strong funds Christmas celebrations throughout Indian Country including in Arizona, Iowa, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Virginia! This means more visits from Santa for children and festive holiday meals for families.

This past Halloween, children attending The Oyate Teca Project’s seasonal party on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation were asked to write what they want Santa to bring them for Christmas. Several asked for an Xbox 360, hoverboards, and iPhones – one child is hoping for a “big phone with free internet.”

Others had more traditional requests including a basketball, a pair of Nike shoes (“a size 4, please!”), a teddy bear or an Easy-Bake Oven.

But the most popular request from Pine Ridge 4th graders this year doesn’t require any batteries or cords. What are these children asking Santa for this year? “A gallon of glue.”

This glue isn’t for elaborate arts and crafts projects in school, but for another purpose altogether – to make slime, lots and lots of slime! – using non-toxic, child-safe Elmer’s glue.

This Christmas, as Running Strong for American Indian Youth® has done for the past several years, we are once again initiating our Toys for Tribes program to help ensure that nearly 500 children at our newest affiliate, Oyate Teca, can open a gift this Christmas, even if it’s a gallon of glue.

Wellness Dreamstarter Cristin Haase talks about the application process for the Pre-Admissions Workshop for Native Youth interested in dentistry. She also touches on the importance of oral health in Native communities!